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Talstar is a brand of bifenthrin insecticide sold in granular form for control of ground-dwelling insect pests. It is lethal to more than 20 different pest species that infest lawns and other landscaped areas around homes, institutions or commercial and industrial structures. It is also approved for outdoor recreational playing fields. It is not legal to use on plants grown for food or for seed. Nor is it approved for use on golf courses, greenhouses, sod farms or nurseries. Always avoid skin contact when using this product.

1

Remove trash, debris and firewood stacks that may hide insects. Put on old clothes including long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Put on work gloves, eye protection, a hat and a disposable dust mask. Avoid getting Talstar insecticide on your bare skin. If you get it on your bare hands, arms or other body areas, immediately take off contaminated clothing and rinse affected areas with water for 20 minutes.

2

Pour Talstar granules into the hopper of your lawn spreader. Apply to your yard at a rate of 100 pounds per acre or 2.3 pounds per 1,000 square feet. On nonresidential areas such as athletic fields, you can apply double these amounts. If using a walk-behind spreader, walk at a steady pace, pushing the spreader in parallel rows so the edge of each row just overlaps the edge of the previous row. If using a spreader mounted on a lawn tractor, drive at 3 miles an hour in parallel rows, barely overlapping the previous row.

3

Water Talstar into the ground by applying 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of water over the treated area, depending on the targeted insect. If you see signs of renewed insect activity, wait two weeks and apply a second Talstar treatment.

4

Apply additional Talstar to control fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), a major stinging lawn pest in the Southwestern and Southeastern United States. While broadcast application of Talstar will kill foraging workers, each fire ant mound on your lawn must receive additional spot treatment to kill the queens. Apply 1/2 cup of Talstar granules in and around each mound. Break up the top of each mound and immediately soak the mound with 1 to 2 gallons of water so the insecticide can dissolve and flow into the mound.

Things You Will Need

Lawn spreader

Protective clothing

Gallon container

Warnings

Talstar is toxic to aquatic life and should not be used around or close to sources of water.

About the Author

Herb Kirchhoff has more than three decades of hands-on experience as an avid garden hobbyist and home handyman. Since retiring from the news business in 2008, Kirchhoff takes care of a 12-acre rural Michigan lakefront property and applies his experience to his vegetable and flower gardens and home repair and renovation projects.